Multiple sclerosis is a demyelinating disease of the central nervous system the onset of which generally occurs within the age range from about 15 to 45. Myelin is a fatty substance which forms a sheath around certain nerve fibers and which conducts nervous impulse at a rate which enables muscles to make precise and delicate movements. The disease is characterized by induration of the sheath substance leading to the formation of plaques of varying size and location which interfere with the impulses normally conducted by the sheath.
The course of the disease can be highly variable in individual patients. Early stages of the disease in general are characterized by relapsing and remitting phase, subsequently the disease follows a chronic progressive course. However, the disease generally results in progressive deterioration of the control of muscle function with ultimate paralysis in many cases. The precise cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown and it may result from a complex interaction of a number of different factors.
Accordingly, there is a need in therapy for drugs which are active in treating the acute relapse and the progression of multiple sclerosis and/or able to ameliorate clinical symptoms or causes of multiple sclerosis.
PCT/EP94/00268 and PCT/EP94/00984 describe the use of a selected class of poly-4-amino-2-carbonyl-1-methyl pyrrole compounds, which were disclosed in PCT/EP91/00014, in preventing and/or treating the metastatic spread of tumors and the use in the treatment of lentivirus infection, respectively.